Chef Joseph Poon

I wanted to book a hands-​on cooking class for my friend’s birthday, I wasn’t able to do the reservation online and it was harder by phone, since no one was answering, I even went to their location and it was always closed. Finally they responded to my email and I booked the only available date for the Double Happiness Class. On the day of, we waited outside until someone opened the door for us, then we waited again inside for the rest of the group to gather. Chef Joseph Poon showed up, he was very funny and enthusiastic. while they were setting up– they were NOT ready– Chef Poon realized that no one cooked the rice, so he had to asked his assistant to go and buy some!!! The class itself was energetic and fun, we learned how to make sushi and sum, then we had a nice dinner prepared by Chef Poon, However, it is not worth $ 120 per person and overrated.
Two Unilocal

This was SUCH a wonderful time… and I have told dozens of my friends. Read on…
I received the tickets for the «Double Happiness: Sushi & Dim Sum Class» as a birthday gift. We got there early (get there early!) and we were wonderfully surprised that it was just us and one other couple (so, we had LOTS of hand-​on training).
First, we were shown the kitchen and Chef Poon told us lots of stories. Chef Poon is fascinating and if you take the effort to really listen to him, he’s quite entertaining! His Sous Chef was a pleasure to talk to, too!
Then we learned how to make the dumplings. I had no idea there were SO many kinds. We made quite a few and he allowed me to fry a batch. Yum. Really, very tasty!
Then… it was SUSHI TIME!!!
We stood at the table and made TONS of such. All kinds: a seaweed cone, with caviar, rice on the inside, rice on the outside with trays and trays of fish, shrimp, vegetable and more.
And, we’re eating as we are making them! Still, we had SO MUCH food left over… I took home FIVE TRAYS of amazing sushi! (So much that when I brought them to my mom’s the next day, we still couldn’t finish them!!)
So, we started packing up the food and Chef Poon motions us to a table… where he prepared DINNER! Steak, General Joe’s Chicken (yum!!), a tasty salad and our dumplings.
Truly, it was so delicious, but I needed to bring it home. I was stuffed! (I had it on Monday and it was extraordinary.)
THEN, because it was my birthday, he brought out a cake that he bought for me! I mean… that was so nice. (Thanks, Chef!)
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That said… for $ 120 a person you get a LOT. Entertainment, two classes and a ton of food!
I read some of the 1-​star reviews and they are nitpicking on some things. (The price of the fish, compared to the price of the class. That’s just silly. You’re paying for world-​class knowledge and FUN.)
The class was WELL worth the money! I was entertained, fed and had LOTS of food to take home!
I highly recommend Chef Poon’s classes!

Wok N Walk
An enthusiastic walking tour of Chinatown. Includes a Buddhist temple, Asian market, bakery, and fortune cookie factory. Joseph gives you samples and food at most stops, then returns and cooks you a delicious 3 course dinner. He is generous with his time, his food and his knowledge and his philosophy of living. A one of a kind experience.

I bought a dim sum cooking class for my brother and I to do together for christmas. I sure am glad I didn’t look at the Unilocal reviews before I bought the class, because otherwise I might have missed out on a great experience. There were 8 people in our class, which was the perfect size. Chef Poon started by showing us around the kitchen. We then went back to the cooking tables and learned to make all different types of won-​tons and dumplings. Throughout the class Chef Poon tells lots of funny stories. I noticed some of the reviews below talked about his arrogance, but I think that is an unfortunate take on a man who just has a very outspoken character. Chef Poon is a showman and an entertainer, who also happens to be a master chef. The dumplings and wontons were then cooked and brought out to us — they were all delicious! Way too much food to eat, but we were allowed to take home leftovers. Then we learned to roll some noodles and make a quail egg dumpling. At the end of the program, Chef Poon and his helpers prepared a meal for us with general «joe’s» chicken, shanghai noodles (yum!), string beans, the noodles we made, some sauteed vegetables. It was all delicious. My only complaint is that the class got started late and so there was less time at the end to enjoy the dinner. We had to get going because we were trying to catch a train, so I wish we had more time for dinner. All in all though, a really fun experience with a friend or family member!

My husband and I attended a sushi making class with Chef Poon in his kitchen last week. I got this class as a Xmas present for my husband thinking that it would be a fun, semi-​romantic date that we’d both enjoy. It didn’t really turn out that way.
The tickets for this class were $ 120 each, so we spent $ 240 total for the class. The class started with Chef Poon in the kitchen area making cheese wontons (which were actually the highlight of the night) and telling us bizarre stories about how much he volunteers and why he feels he needs to give back to America because «we’ve done so much for him.» Within the first 5 minutes of the class, we knew all about how many jobs he had turned down in order to volunteer, how much money he thinks he should be making, how much his plane tickets cost to go places, how much he makes for 7 minutes of motivational speaking, etc. Basically, you get to listen to Chef Poon talk about money throughout the entire class. It’s really off putting.
Then, the sushi portion began. We were each given a plate of tuna, tilapia, shrimp, one piece of octopus and some imitation crab meat. After a short demonstration on how to make a small ball of rice and put a piece of fish on top, we were sashimi experts. We then make two hand rolls and some maki. During the class, other students asked questions about where the «sushi grade» fish comes from, etc. Chef Poon saw nothing wrong with showing us the bagged, frozen pieces of fish that he buys from the supermarket to make his sushi. The price stickers were still on the bag. We could all see that in our $ 120 per person class, we were eating $ 4.00 bagged tilapia and $ 9 bagged tuna. We now understood why the fish was bland, at least.
Throughout the class, Chef Poon also told us how much he’d charge for each of the rolls we were making («see this. $ 1 to make. I sell for $ 7. big mark ups.») and also about how he is the only Chinese Masterchef in the world. I think it’s funny that he also called a guy in our class «Macho Man» the entire time and that another reviewer noted that he did the same thing. Another funny part was when he showed us his candy making cookbook that «has sold out» and is longer available to purchase, yet, from the goodness of his heart, he donates to kids in prison to read. Yes, he donates his chinese candy making cookbook to prisoners. I’m sure they are beyond thrilled.
The class ended with a «dinner,» which was 4 pieces of filet and 5 pieces of general tso’s chicken. The beef was good and so was the chicken, but Chef Poon couldn’t just let us eat it and enjoy. He brought out the container of Lipton Demi Glacé that he used to make the beef so tasty, which kind of ruined the whole thing. We could have made this at home with a purchase can of his «secret sauce» that we got at any grocery store in America.
All this to say, the class was way overpriced for what it was, and Chef Poon was actually a distraction and annoyance rather than being a voice of expertise. I wish I had done more research into Chef Poon’s classes before purchasing, but, you live and you learn!
Don’t waste your money on his classes. Watch a YouTube video on how to roll sushi, get yourself a little kit, and head to Legal Seafoods to get some REAL sushi grade fish.

Chef Joseph Poon is getting my first 1 star review. I’ve written over 200 Unilocal reviews and this is my first 1 star review. That should tell you something.
So my husband was looking for a unique Sunday afternoon activity for the weekend before my birthday. He came across Chef Poon’s «Wok N Roll» Chinatown tour and booked it as a surprise for me, before checking any Unilocal reviews. He now knows to always check the Unilocal reviews.
Overall, I have to say that it was just a really bizarre experience. I think a list is in order…
List of Bizarro-​ness at the Wok N Roll Chinatown Tour:
— Chef Poon is really hard to understand and would go on these tangents that no one had an interest in.
— His «restaurant» had zero ambiance. I’ve been in frat house basements that felt more comfortable.
— We didn’t really see much on the tour– we went inside a grocery store and a bakery. That was it. I felt like it didn’t give much information on anything
— Chef Poon himself is a bit of a nutcase. Having a big ego doesn’t even begin to explain this man. He kept being like «I’m a masterchef», «I had an offer of $ 6M to teach at the CIA», «I met Jay Leno»… give me a break.
— And he was pretty inappropriate– he called me sexy multiple times and asked me on a date. With my husband standing there with me. I know he was joking around, but my husband didn’t pay $ 120 for this (yes, $ 60 a person). And he kept calling this jacked dude on our tour «Macho Man». Weird, just weird.
— One of the highlights was the fortune cookie factory tour (which I really wanted to see) and we didn’t even get to go inside. Same thing with the Buddhist temple– we saw the outside. Big f-​ing deal.
— We got lunch at the end– Dumpling soup, general tso chicken, salad, some chicken skewers, and a cookie and cheescake bite for dessert. The food was just ok. Chicken was tough– he overcooked it, in my opinion (even though I’m not a Masterchef). Also, I felt awkward cause we sat at the table with the rest of the people in our tour.
We made the best out of the situation and tried to enjoy ourselves (since we already paid for it). Sounds like his cooking class is much better, but I would tell anyone who is considering the Wok N Roll Tour to stay away.

Don’t pay any mind to the old, outdated, negative reviews written by customers who obviously don’t appreciate legit Asian cooking by a true Master Chef.
My cousin and I attended Joseph Poon’s Chef Kitchen for a private Chinese cooking class to celebrate my birthday. We had patronized Chef Poon’s Peking Duck restaurant many times as a child so we were so happy to see that Chef Poon hasn’t changed much over the years… and I think he even recognized us. He is one of the most enthusiastic, eccentric people I’ve ever met. The kitchen and cooking area was immaculately clean. The food was beautiful and fresh. It’s a BYO establishment so he allows you to bring your own liquid courage to accompany your experience. He surprised us with so many courses (most of which we prepared with Chef Poon) that we ended up bringing home half the food to enjoy the next day.
Chef Poon is very proud and demanding but he is a true teacher and is always happy and enthusiastic. In the Chef Kitchen, you’re there to learn and he is there to make sure you leave with a better understanding of how to make Asian food. He is very respectful to those who show him respect. If you love to cook and are enthusiastic about cooking & preparation, you’ve come to the right place.

the Wok n Walk was worth the price. Poon is funny and informative. Visited places in Chinatown I would not have stopped in at.

Wow, after reading all of those terrible reviews, I think it’s safe to say that the best bang for your buck is attending the cooking class Chef Poon offers. Perhaps this distracts from his ability to offend the sensitive types?
All I know is that my hubby and I had a great time learning to cook Peking duck, learned a lot in general, got to cook in his kitchen, eat the food we cooked, scored a free wok that Poon fired for us at the end, got a quick tour of Chinatown’s underground grocery store, and were otherwise happy, even at the more-​than-​I-​care-​to-​pay price!
He is probably not politically correct, but I don’t care. The food is good and he’s a hoot. Very high-​energy! I’m only adding this review because I feel he’s getting a bad rap for those new year dinners (and it sounds like he deserves it) but he really does shine in the cooking classes.

Bizarre experience. Average food.

I wish I can give this place ⁰⁄₅ stars!
I went here tonight for a pharm dinner with my co-​workers and we were in for a «treat»
The décor was like the dirty living room of a frat house. The appetizers were ALL deep fried chinese-​american foods (egg roll, crab rangoon, etc).
The service by Joseph Poon himself was deplorable. We have a large group of ~20 people, some of which are vegetarian and some of which eat seafood only but no beef/​chicken. When he found out we didn’t give him advance notice of the number of people with vegetarian/​seafood only diets, he literally had an panic attack in front of our party of 20 physicians and pharmaceutical reps. He started yelling at our vegetarian colleagues and lectured us about how «if this was morimoto, you guys would be kicked out». Those are his words VERBATIM!
This guys needs some serious Haldol and Ativan STAT!
When the non-​vegetarian dishes came out, he again proceeded to ridicule our vegetarian friends by saying «finally we have some NORMAL people».
The food was not traditional chinese at all, but Americanized just like the chinese takeout food you can get from any neighborhood restaurant.
His waiters and waitresses were very nice and tried to apologize for their boss, but Mr Poon has some seriously ego issues (he has his picture put on the back of every seat in the «restaurant). His histrionic temper is uncalled for.
I would not recommend anyone to goto this so called restaurant. He may be able to get away with it because the chef only caters to private events, but if he had a mainstream restaurant, the public will know the nasty temperament of this guy.
We were astonished that this guy could be literally yelling at the top of his lungs in order to criticize our vegetarian friends in front of the ~20 person group.
Do yourself a favor and goto one of the many other fine establishes in Chinatown, run away from this self-​proclaimed «chef best in the world»

I was pretty disappointed with our Chinese New Year dinner here. While the service was lovely and the dining room cozy, the meal was underwhelming. The description is pretty misleading. This is not a 10 course meal but rather 10 «bites» if you will. Dishes were hit or miss. The appetizers were the best — the peking duck roll was good as was the foie gras roll, but the lobster dumpling was basically a dried husk. The entrees were just okay — with the filet mignon and eggplant dish being the best. Cute dessert — the chocolate mochi cake was interesting. I really did not think this meal was worth the price.

I did the sushi making class with a friend, there were 11 others in the class and we all had a blast. Chef Poon is such a nice, sweet man and we really learned how to make sushi!!! He was also quick to give us tons of advice on where to get the best deal on ingredients. As others have mentioned you MUST bring an appetite to any of his classes as he will stuff you with food and you get to take the rest home with you.

I went during restaurant week… what a disappointment. The place is located on a second floor. All the chairs had the chef’s face plastered on the cheap chair covers. The food was over cooked, over fried, and left me irritated that I wasted $ 50. The chef is very full of himself and rambles on and on about how he is the top chef in the city, and country. Seriously. if you are that great, you would not have moved to a space that is located on a second floor of a seedy alley, nor would the restaurant be empty during restaurant week, The kicker is that you have to walk through the kitchen to use the restrooms, which do not have a sink inside. You have to use the SAME sink as the cooks, which I thought was very unsanitary. I saw one of the cooks walk out of the restroom, and bypass using the sink to wash his hands. UGH! There are a hundred other places that I can think of to go to in this city for good chinese. Would never return. Please don’t waste your money or your time.

Went the other night in a group of 13. We had a great time. Chef Poon is so much fun. You can tell he truly has a passion of the culinary arts. The best part you feel like your actually eating in the chefs kitchen. My only suggestion is bring a big appetite because there is so much food.

My husband and I & our friends ate at Chef Joseph Poon on Jan. 25, 2010 for restaurant week & thought the food was amazing! Every course was delicious, especially the lobster course. I would definitely recommend this restaurant, especially during restaurant week! And it was only $ 35 per person for several courses!

Well, the best part of Joseph Poon is that he’ll send you out on a trip around Philadelphia Chinatown, for the uninitiated. Of course, for $ 50, I’d show you around and cook for you, too.
He has some good stories of the area and local food stops, plus various tips on buying different kinds of Chinese groceries, and his food isn’t bad, but it’s certainly not a tour you need to take if you’re a foodie looking to try new and wonderful dishes. Never tried the holiday tour they’re referring to, though.

I too was part of Foodie M’s group of diners who got Pooned. In a city that has so many great choices of affordable ethnic food, it’s rare that I’ll shell out $ 50 for dinner, let alone Chinese food, but the menu sounded fantastic. I have never experienced such a disconnect between a printed menu and my actual taste buds as this.
Since Foodie M did a pretty thorough job of describing the dismal décor, and the range of off beat (not in a good way) to just plain inedible dishes I’ll try to keep my review brief (brief isn’t my specialty though…). As we sat down at the table I noticed a kind of funk wafting up my nose which I soon realized was a take out box of a previous diner’s leftovers (From that day? From last week? I’m not sure) they had wisely chosen not to take home with them, and had shoved in the shelf under the table. (The tables aren’t actual dining tables, but are kitchen prep tables). This should have been the first sign. Actually it was the first sign. The meal progressed from dishes that were OK to dishes that were horrible.
A few examples–
Second Course
Peking Duck with Jicama and Spring Onion with Steamed Lotus Leaf Bun
Translation — A bite of duck in a bun that is chewy in the center, and so hard on the side you can hardly bite through it.
Sixth Course
Double Happiness Lobster with Lemon Pepper Linguini in Homemade Chili Tomato Mirin Essence
Translation — Lobster claws that are impossible to get out of the shell so forget about actually eating any, on a bed of linguini with BBQ sauce.
Tenth Course
Dessert: Ice Cream Cheesecake and Fresh Fruit Sculpture with Green Tea
Translation — A 1″ square of frozen cheesecake with a grape on a toothpick
OK, so I guess a grape on a toothpick may qualify as a sculpture to some, but in my imagination it would be something slightly more.
So I realized that Joseph Poon the brand is really much more about the wacky persona than the food. Oh well. I just wish I knew that before I blew so much money.

On February 29^th of 2008 I organized a small group of friends of mine to to be charged an enormous amount of money for possibly the worst dining experience of Chinatowns history! Woo Hoo!
Someone sent me a link to what sounded like the dinner of a lifetime: Join Chef Poon for a traditional 10-​course Chinese New Year Banquet featuring dishes from 8 nations. It sure wasn’t difficult to convince some friends to join me since the menu sounded absolutely wonderful.
When we arrived at 1010 Arch street in Chinatown we found ourselves ascending a flight of dirty carpeted stairs that rewarded us with what looked like a wood-​panelled storage room turned into emergency shelter/​Chinese banquet room. You see, there was an abundance of personal items and restaurant supplies such as old chairs, lamps and boxes of Christmas decorations piled up along the front part of the 2^nd floor space. There was no pretentious covering this stuff up. No, it was there it was flavor! The tables set up for our party and the other groups of victims were actually stainless steel work bench tables you might see in an industrial kitchen. But of course these were covered with white table covers that were bleached, and yet still stained, so often they were holy. Folding chairs were covered with images of Chef Poon, which would be creepy if not for the striking resemblance and level of class that one would see at Buddakan. Steven Starr, eat your hear out. Also, my group being fortunate, we were placed at the much sought after tables with the best views. We were actually in the space deemed «the kitchen» The equipment and sinks were only a mere 5 feet from our table!
Nonetheless the mood was one of anticipation. If the place was THIS humble, imagine how great the food must be! So we began with ordering a round of drinks. We had a choice of generic Chinese beer or a glass of cheep box wine for a bargain $ 6.
We had no idea what was in store for us. The meal was over in less than 40 minutes and perhaps that’s a good thing. I wish you were there…
Oh. let me walk you through it! No, no, it will be my pleasure to share this!
The first 2 «courses» were some mouthful-​sized appetizer tastes that were actually pretty decent though tiny. (Try and read the following as if you’re training for the speed reading championships.) These first courses were brought out at a leisurely pace of one per every… oh let’s say 2.5 minutes. It’s a good thing though, since each of us had such supermarket-​sample-​sized portions we often were able to consume each before the next part of the feast arrived creating a sense of pride and accomplishment. Honestly, there’s no finer dining atmosphere better than that of a pie eating contest and this was damn close to it.
So, as each dish was delivered to our work-​bench table we found ourselves slowing down. It was similar to when a child discovers something that causes pain and is reluctant try it again.
Larger dishes to be shared were brought out and and presentation occurred all at once so it really started feeling like a feast. The presentation of some seemed aesthetically pleasing, while others were a bit scary.
Mostly though the seafood was fishy. The Bass was greasy and the salmon tasted old, like «honey we should’ve thrown this out a week ago» old. The Fried rice dish was sweet and unpleasant while perhaps the lowest point of the meal was the Lobster dish. A large dish of linguine was covered by pieces of lobster broken to hard chunks still in their shell. They were delivered with no tools to crack the shells or retrieve the lobster meat. Digging with a fork seemed useless but in a way I was glad the lobster was till in it’s impenetrable shell; it protected it from being contaminated by the tangy-​sour and glowingly artificial red BBQ sauce which stung the eye as much as the tongue.
And being Chinatown, we certainly were treated to our well deserved happy ending. The sumptuous dessert consisted of a half-​inch square of still mostly frozen cheescake/​cookie pierced with a toothpick which held the single white grape on. MMMmmmmhmmm.
And then, the generosity flowed when Chef Poons staff rushed out to clank onto our table a half glass of Cook’s sparkling wine.
So in the end we each paid $ 54 per person (in Chinatown!) for what we all agreed was our worst culinary experience to date.
*Please note, the delay of this review is partially because this event predated my Unilocal awareness and I had tried to suppress these memories. Forgetting is hard though since lately when my friends and I experience unpleasant meals or find ourselves greatly ripped off, we say we’ve been «Pooned». It’s become a handy verb.